'How to be a good member of the sisterhood'

One hundred years. That’s how long the World Economic Forum says it will take for women to close the gender equality gap on men.

A whole bloody century!

Not only will we see no change whatsoever in our lifetime, but our daughter’s generation will be skipped over, altogether.

It looks like we’re going to have to wait for our grandchildren to arrive before we finally see equality between women and men.

To top it all off, we’ll be waiting another 117 years, just to earn as much as men.

That’s at least a double century in cricketing vernacular.

So what’s holding us back?

This week on Life bites journalist Emmy Kubainski and clinical psychologist Kirstin Bouse talk to Lanna Hill about how to be a good sister:

These projections are obviously on a global scale. Don’t get me wrong. Australia has been improving in its ranking. Last year, we were listed as 46th, now we’ve jumped to 35.

Not quite a top ten finish like our mates across the ditch. New Zealand came in at number nine. It probably helps that their current prime minister is female and it’s not the first time they’ve had one either.

So is there anything Aussie women can be doing to help close this gap? What about the sisterhood? Hasn’t this been helping our cause?

The sweet idea where women help other women, because we’re all in it together.

Well, not according to Perth business coach Lanna Hill. The mother-of-two recently wrote a commentary piece in a local WA newspaper about women and equality. It’s her belief that, “the way women are conditioned to compete plays an integral part in the gender inequality issue.”

Lanna says our lack of openness compared to men is what’s the problem. She says, “women on the other hand are conditioned to compete in an indirect, somewhat covert way, and we are paying the price for it.”

In our latest podcast, we decided to talk to Lanna about her idea of the sisterhood and open competition. Do the two go hand-in-hand?

“Competition is a natural part of human behaviour and promotes growth, innovation, change and resilience. Women need to embrace this and start claiming what is theirs, rather than waiting patiently (and silently) for someone to give it to us,” she says.

Something Lanna says she’s experienced allot in her childhood and in her corporate life, is the notion of women taking down other women.

We all know the ones she’s talking about. They pull the ladder up from under them but not in a direct way.

Kirsten (left) and Emmy (right) talk about the sisterhood on this week's episode of Life Bites. Image: Provided

Some of these women talk openly about wanting equality but their actions suggest otherwise. From open aggression and hostility; to insisting on uniformity when everyone’s role within an organisation is different; to social exclusion, Lanna says she’s seen it all.

“I’ve been stabbed in the back by women multiple times that won’t say it to my face.”

She wants women to be cheerleaders for each other but also compete openly and honestly.

“The more we can speak up about what we want and what we’re going for the better it is for everybody.”

Clinical psychologist Kirstin Bouse says, part of the sisterhood includes surrounding yourself with loving critics.

“You don’t want the people that are blinded by your amazingness, that they will never give you honest feedback but you also don’t want to have the people who just want to bring you down for whatever reason.”